‘“It’s absolutely amazing!” The first visitor to the new shopping centre
cannot hide her enthusiasm, her eyes sparkling at the shower of golden
discount coupons’ (Sydsvenska Dagbladet, 25 October 2012). The
new commercial facility presents itself as part of a natural circuit, its
elevators embedded in lush greenery, its open spaces framed by rippling
waterfalls. Even the public lavatories express the same environmental
concern, with bird tweets and other animal sounds activated as you
lock the cubicle door, all according to one early reviewer whose inaugural
visit to the privy was greeted by an intimate ‘cock-a-doodle-doo’
(Fürstenberg 2012).
The impressive opening of Emporia took place in October 2012 in
Malmö, Sweden. Located close to the Öresund Bridge, in the transnational
metropolitan area often referred to as Greater Copenhagen, the
new shopping destination is one of the most extravagant and extensive
in Europe. Architectonically spectacular and environmentally certified,
the three-storey complex is an award-winning piece of green investment.
1 Access is easy; you can arrive at the site by public transport or
even by bike if you wish; most likely you enter from the new station
square through the imposing ‘Amber Entrance’, or, if you still prefer
coming here by car, the glimmering blue ‘Sea Entrance’ facing the main
parking will provide as grandiose an ingress; a deep, translucent cavity in the sienna-coloured glass facade, an enticing orifice, exerting a centripetal
force. The most idiosyncratic mode of entry, however, is via
the six-acre public rooftop park, which can be accessed by either car or
foot via an exterior stairway. While the park allows for a more relaxed
passage into the emporium and its 200 stores and restaurants, it also
buffers the consuming experience, making clear that consumption is
only one part of the Emporia vision.